Computer-assisted and robotic surgery systems allow healthcare practitioners to achieve greater accuracy, automation and/or less-invasive approaches while performing a variety of diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures. Such technologies are broadly applicable to a variety of medical specialties, ranging from ophthalmology and anesthesiology, to orthopedics and interventional radiology. Some computer-assisted systems provide image-guided navigation to improve the accuracy of invasive procedures, while other systems incorporate sophisticated robotics and visualization technology for performing minimally invasive surgeries that can lead to reduced scarring and shorter recovery times. One example of a minimally invasive surgery is a laparoscopic procedure, which typically involves creating a number of small incisions in the patient (e.g., in the abdomen), and introducing one or more tools and at least one camera through the incisions into the patient. The surgical procedure is then performed by using the introduced tools, with the visualization aid provided by the camera. In robotic or robotic-assisted surgery, at least some of the introduced instruments may be attached to one or more robotic arms operated remotely (e.g., in tele-operation) by a user (e.g., surgeon). Thus, it is desirable to have a user console system through which a user may control the introduced tools and/or camera used in robotic surgery.